Chennai: Greater Chennai corporation sanctioned more than Rs 300 crore during its 2011-12 budget for beautification of the city but the road widening process has led to more encroachments on footpaths.
While 50 per cent of the footpaths across the city are encroached, the other half is in a very poor condition with broken cement blocks and litter strewn all around.
Though the widening of roads was done to decongest the area, it has compounded the problems for corporation officials.
Encroachment of footpaths is a problem that has plagued the city for a very long time with street vendors setting up their shops.
Footpaths in busy areas stretching from T. Nagar to Lattice bridge road in Adyar to Besant Nagar have witnessed encroachments.
Though corporation officials say they conduct regular raids to remove such encroachments, encroachers are quite ‘smart’ as they set up their makeshift shops within a matter of few minutes.
Footpath in Besant Nagar second avenue was widened by officials, said Kamakshi Subramaniam, founder of Spark Residents Association.
“In less than a month, encroachers returned and set up their make-shift stalls. We have no clue how to deal with these people. Footpaths in Besant Nagar need to be free of encroachments since several people use them for morning and evening walks,” she told Deccan Chronicle.
The association has written several letters to corporation officials about the encroachments on footpaths, but no action has been taken so far, she said.
Some stalls in Besant Nagar’s second avenue also have blue labels stuck on the shops, which they claim to be the license from the corporation. However, officials have denied authorisation of any shops.
